Inspiration

Social media became a big part of our lives when we started the Exploring Alternatives project in 2014. Now, we post weekly videos and photos about alternative lifestyles, and we also follow (sometimes obsessively!) people who are living the alternative…

Living an alternative lifestyle and making choices that are different from the people around you can make for some lonely experiences. Imagine being the only vegetarian at a BBQ, being single at a party full of couples, or living in a van when all…

I found The Wealthy Barber on my dad’s night table when I was about 14 years old and decided to read it, cover to cover, because I thought it would give me a head start on my retirement savings plans. I…

I like to make crazy to-do lists and elaborate budget spreadsheets, I like to read the last page in a book before I start it and I especially like to know the ending of a movie before I watch it. I guess…

Travelling in British Columbia for three weeks has given us a crazy travel high and we haven’t even made it to the mainland yet! We’ve seen feral peacocks and a floating village in Victoria, a magical island preserve and starfish-encrusted beach…

Our return to Canada last week marked the beginning of our van life project: a wacky attempt to combine travel, minimalism, and green living into one glorious lifestyle. As we drove off the ferry that had brought us back to Canada, we imagined all of…

In less than two weeks we are leaving this cozy log cabin in Olympia, WA and moving into our cargo van for the summer (hopefully longer if we’re allowed back in the US in the fall!). We’re both super excited…

I used to feel powerless and depressed when I would hear about all of the problems going on in the world. I still do, but I’ve also been feeling inspired and hopeful, thanks to the fact that it’s so easy…

Until my mid-twenties, I had the emotional maturity of a toddler. When things didn’t go my way I was quick to point the blame at others; and, if I was really upset, I would have crazy foot stomping meltdowns. One…

Mat and I are extremely indecisive (as you can probably tell from our last post about having babies). We often come up with ambitious plans for trips we’d like to take or projects we’d like to try, but we’re not…